Former Duke star Kyle Singler plans to stay in Spain rather than join the Detroit Pistons. Singler was taken by the Pistons with the No. 33 pick in the draft. He's been playing with Spanish team Lucentum Alicante during the NBA lockout. Alicante says it has agreed to sell Singler's rights to Real Madrid.

Every other year, Nissan trots out another Pivo concept to the Tokyo Motor Show, and each successive version is weirder than the next. But this latest version - the predictably named Pivo 3 - is different. Nissan wants to build it, and while its awkward shape and trick doors won't make it to production, much of the underlying tech will.

Since 2005, each Pivo has featured some four-wheel-steering system, and the Pivo 3 takes it to the next level with a 6.6-foot turning radius that can practically spin the Pivo on its axis. Power is delivered thorough individual in-wheel motors, with energy stored in a Leaf-inspired lithium-ion battery pack. The big feature is the Pivo 3's automated parking system, which not only finds a space, but drives off to park itself then returns courtesy of a smartphone app.

So when are we going to see it hit the Japanese and European markets? Two years? Five years? Your guess is as good as ours as Nissan isn't giving up much.

Press Release: Maserati North America Announces Pricing for 2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC and GranTurismo Convertible Sport July 26, 2011 ? ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ ? Maserati North America is pleased to announcepricing on the two newest members of its line-up: the 2012 GranTurismo MC and the 2012 GranTurismo Convertible Sport. In the United States the 2012 GranTurismo MC has a base MSRP of $139,900 and the 2012 GranTurismo Convertible Sport has a base MSRP of $142,800. In Canada the 2012 GranTurismo MC has a base MSRP of $147,500 and the 2012 GranTurismo Convertible Sport ...

Honda’s VT1300 line is fixing to get three new variations that are sure to drum up a significant level of interest from riders everywhere. For this particular page, the focus is on the "muscle bike" of the three, the Honda Stateline.

The Stateline has a unique design and, when mixed with modern technology, offers what Honda has described as ?traditional looks meets progressive elements.? The tried-and-tested formula of combining retro looks with modern technology never gets old, and true to form, that’s the Honda Stateline’s calling card.

The deeply valanced fenders arc downward in classic retro style, yet the all-new rolling chassis and overall lines bring a fresh look to the bike. Some design features on the Stateline also pay homage to the bike’s classic styling, particularly the swept-back bars atop raked-out forks and full-size fenders spooning fat front and rear tires. Even the lights set-up was designed to provide elegance to the Stateline’s profile. The front headlamp is the picture of strength while the taillight, combined with a unique rear signlamp, provides stylish looks to the bike’s rear end.

In terms of the bike’s engine set-up, the Stateline is the epitome of cruiser power, thanks to a powerful 1,312 cc liquid-cooled 52 V-twin engine that’s mated to a five-speed transmission, producing insane amounts of power at all ranges. The bike’s PGM-FI system with automatic enrichment circuit makes for an ideal induction set-up. Suffice to say, this cruiser provides perfect acceleration on the street while also boasting of a sturdy chassis and suspension set-up.

At some point, the choice really does become clear. The Honda Stateline is a cruiser that can cater to a wide variety of clients. Whether they’re looking for classic looks, modern technology, or a combination of both, the Stateline has everything you want in a cruiser.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

It looks like Arron Afflalo will be playing basketball next month, which is why he didn’t play basketball Sunday. That was the ironic twist to this weekend’s news of a potential lockout-ending settlement between the NBA and its players, which came the day before Baron Davis and Tina Thompson held their charity exhibition game in Los Angeles. Business came first for Afflalo, so rather than risk injury right before he enters free agency he watched from a courtside seat while DeMar DeRozan put on a dunking display and Craig Smith showed off his ballhandling skills.

Honda’s VT1300 line is fixing to get three new variations that are sure to drum up a significant level of interest from riders everywhere. For this particular page, the focus is on the "muscle bike" of the three, the Honda Stateline.

The Stateline has a unique design and, when mixed with modern technology, offers what Honda has described as ?traditional looks meets progressive elements.? The tried-and-tested formula of combining retro looks with modern technology never gets old, and true to form, that’s the Honda Stateline’s calling card.

The deeply valanced fenders arc downward in classic retro style, yet the all-new rolling chassis and overall lines bring a fresh look to the bike. Some design features on the Stateline also pay homage to the bike’s classic styling, particularly the swept-back bars atop raked-out forks and full-size fenders spooning fat front and rear tires. Even the lights set-up was designed to provide elegance to the Stateline’s profile. The front headlamp is the picture of strength while the taillight, combined with a unique rear signlamp, provides stylish looks to the bike’s rear end.

In terms of the bike’s engine set-up, the Stateline is the epitome of cruiser power, thanks to a powerful 1,312 cc liquid-cooled 52 V-twin engine that’s mated to a five-speed transmission, producing insane amounts of power at all ranges. The bike’s PGM-FI system with automatic enrichment circuit makes for an ideal induction set-up. Suffice to say, this cruiser provides perfect acceleration on the street while also boasting of a sturdy chassis and suspension set-up.

At some point, the choice really does become clear. The Honda Stateline is a cruiser that can cater to a wide variety of clients. Whether they’re looking for classic looks, modern technology, or a combination of both, the Stateline has everything you want in a cruiser.

Now that NBA owners and players have reached a tentative labor agreement, the Portland Trail Blazers need to resume their search for a general manager. If the lockout-ending deal struck early Saturday in New York is formally approved by both sides, the league will play a 66-game season beginning Dec 25.

Whoa, that Derrick Rose rule could mean Russell Westbrook will have a bigger salary than Kevin Durant. Two nice young men in a system that is just dying for them to be rivals. An argument the Spurs ought to use the amnesty clause on Richard Jefferson next offseason if at all. Is Chris Paul on rails to New York City? The new amnesty clause will lead to a whole mess of talented free agents, right? Wrong. To my way of thinking, the Heat's roster-construction error was an over-reliance on players who were once good but had lost all athleticism.

While its become obvious that Lamborghini has become more aggressive in promoting the new Aventador supercar as their flagship model, a lot of people still haven’t forgotten about the supercar the Aventador replaced.

The American tuning company specializes in building custom wheels for some of the world’s most famous exotic cars and for the Murcielago LP670-4 SV, PUR Wheels made sure to dress up the supercar with only the best set of wheels in the market. In this particular case, the custom wheels offer a perfect contrast to the chameleon-like Green and Pink Pearlescent exterior finish, which may seem like an odd color combination for a car of this stature, but has turned this supercar into a true piece of Italian beauty.

As far as the powertrain is concerned, the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 is powered by an upstanding 6.5-liter V12 engine that produces a mouth-watering 670 horsepower. It also boasts of a 0-60 mph sprint time of just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 212 mph.

If a car is capable of performance figures like that and look sexy as hell while doing it, then it doesn’t matter whether the model is gone or not.

His sneakers are returning to Philadelphia. The 76ers are hopeful Dr. J will come along for the ride. A day after the Sixers swooped in and collected some Julius Erving memorabilia, team CEO Adam Aron said he has reached out to Dr. J about joining the organization in some capacity. "We'd like to bring Dr.

David Stern predicts owners will support this “tentative agreement” and it's not just because his side won almost all the important concessions. It's also because he has done his homework, including years of gathering their opinions and, for good measure, two conference calls with the league's labor committee during Black Friday’s marathon bargaining session. Having talked to those 11, Stern is confident this tentative agreement will be recommended by the committee, approved by the board of governors and ultimately ratified by enough of the league’s owners to become official as the league’s next CBA.

Press Release: - The World?s Most Popular Two-Seat Roadster: Always Ready for Road Racing, Daily Driving - For more than 20 years, the MX-5 Miata has offered sports car enthusiasts a pure, uncomplicated and fun-focused roadster at an attainable price. Sticking to that simple concept has made the MX-5 the most popular two-seat convertible sports car in the world with more than 900,000 units produced, qualifying it as a Guinness World Record holder. Making its global debut in 1989, the MX-5 has since received ...

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images Sport The big moment came in the middle of the night, in a law office by the Apple Store. The circus of the NBA lockout came with a sideshow -- a hardy collection of journalists huddled outside, or downstairs, or in some hallway or media room, tweeting. And now that's over too. It was a funny old thing to be part of. Dozens of times I kissed my family goodbye and got on a bus or in a car and headed off to somewhere in midtown Manhattan, having no idea if I'd be home at 6 p.

Free Agency 2011 will be nowhere near as celebrated for the Miami Heat as the player-movement bonanza that brought LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade together a year ago. It still carries massive importance. James, Wade, Bosh, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem are still under contract, meaning the core remains intact.

Whither the franchise tag -- or designated player -- that was one of the major talking points last summer when a discussion of the next collective bargaining agreement was just getting underway? Zach Lowe of Point Forward revisits the idea, and looks at the repercussions of such a rule. My general feeling is that, no matter how much you incentivize a player to stay put with his existing team, it's still inordinately difficult to convince a guy to stay in a place he deems undesirable.

Free Agency 2011 will be nowhere near as celebrated for the Miami Heat as the player-movement bonanza that brought LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade together a year ago. It still carries massive importance. James, Wade, Bosh, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem are still under contract, meaning the core remains intact.

The show's called India's Got Talent, and we're certainly prepared to say that India's got The Warriors of Goja but we're not sure if what they have is called talent, bravery or just plain crazy. The aforementioned warriors put on a lengthy display of what, in a circus, would be called 'amazing feats of strength' that includes breaking rocks on every part of their bodies with sledgehammers and eating florescent light bulbs.

Admittedly, most of this seven-minute long video doesn't have anything to do with cars, but then they bring out a Maruti Suzuki five-door and use a comrade to show tricks that, off the set, would probably be both illegal and fatal. And in the middle of the stunt, they randomly add a motorcycle to the mix. As said by the person who uploaded the video, "I have no words for this.. just AMAZING." That's about right. You'll find it all after the jump, the Maruti action starts at 2:40.

The NBA regular season would run through April 26 and require teams to play at least one set of back-to-back games if a new labor deal is ratified in time to start on Christmas. The league posted an outline of what the schedule would look like on its Twitter pages Sunday. The plan is a 66-game regular season, ending about 10 days later than usual.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Edgar Albert Guest was a transplanted Detroiter, his family having moved from Birmingham, England to The Motor City well before Detroit earned that nickname. From there, he embraced the city and life itself, penning more than 10,000 poems with titles like "On Quitting" and "It Takes a Heap O' Livin'." His works had simple, inspiring themes that earned him the title of The People's Poet and the only-ever Poet Laureateship of Michigan. And it is he that Chrysler has turned to for its next Imported from Detroit commercial, advertising the 2012 Chrysler 300.

Guest's poem "See it Through," a lash of encouragement for the folks battling World War I, is spoken over snatches of Detroit still-lifes: children swinging, NFL fans tailgating, a grocer in his doorway. Underneath all that, Muddy Waters does a little bit of his version of "Mannish Boy." It doesn't have the shock and grit of Eminem's take, but it's just as good.

In fact, it's so good at recasting images of Detroit that we thought the city itself should do the same for itself, then AdWeek found out someone else already did. Boat Magazine, a biannual English magazine about cities, did its second issue on Detroit. To advertise it, Boat produced a video using voiceover of the same Guest poem and its own quotidian scenes of the city. Chalk up another one for high coincidence. If you missed the commercial during yesterday's Thanksgiving Day Lion's game, you can check it out after the jump - and we've even included the Boat Magazine vid for good measure.

LAS VEGAS -- What might be worse for top-ranked (for now) North Carolina than losing to UNLV 90-80 Saturday night? Having All-American forward Harrison Barnes leave Orleans Arena on crutches. The sophomore forward rolled his right ankle late in the first half scrambling on the sideline for a loose ball. He immediately flashed the tired signal and went to the bench. Although he waved off the trainer, he had a towel over his head for several minutes, before eventually returning to the game.

His sneakers are returning to Philadelphia. The 76ers are hopeful Dr. J will come along for the ride. A day after the Sixers swooped in and collected some Julius Erving memorabilia, team CEO Adam Aron said he has reached out to Dr. J about joining the organization in some capacity. "We'd like to bring Dr.

LAS VEGAS -- With so much attention on point guard Kendall Marshall’s assist totals (he recorded 14 again Friday night), forward John Henson’s offensive improvement (18 points) and the Tar Heels’ outside shooting (five 3-pointers from P.J. Hairston), North Carolina sophomore Harrison Barnes has been somewhat overshadowed during his top-ranked team’s undefeated (now 5-0) start. But during a key second-half stretch of UNC’s 87-62 victory over South Carolina in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Invitational, the All-American small forward quietly reasserted why he is so important to the Tar Heels.

Have you ever gotten so mad that you wanted to break something? For the vast majority of us, the urge passes without any property damage, but the same can't be said of Edward Roth. Fox 5 San Diego reports that the 22-year-old did his best Michael Douglas impression from the movie "Falling Down." The victim? Hines Mazda of Mission Valley, and Roth even managed to do the deed in a snazzy dress clothes. Surprisingly, the vandalism appears to be totally random - dealer officials say Roth has never done business with them.

Beyond the jump is some truly bizarre surveillance video. The footage shows an angry Roth after what appears to be an upsetting phone call beating on a Mazda CX-7. Roth then reportedly threw a bench through the dealership window, then took a pole of some sort to at least a dozen Mazdas along with one customer car for good measure. The Hines Mazda incident went on for about 25 minutes before police put a stop to the madness.

Click on the link below to watch Hines Mazda get thrashed. All told, initial cost estimate for the rampage come out to around $50,000 (we're surprised it's not more) plus one discharged police Taser.

Now this is how you create an excellent - and mysterious - teaser photo. The scene is dark and there’s only that sight of the shadow of an unmistakable supercar growling in the darkness, waiting to bust out its fangs and unleash holy hell on the entire auto industry.

This, dear friends, is a teaser photo released by Gumpert announcing the arrival of an all-new supercar that’s scheduled to be unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show. Details behind this mysterious machine are still being kept under wraps and the only thing we really have going for us are these foreboding photos.

What the car will look like, what it’s going to be called, and what’s it going to be like are all questions that nobody has an answer to just yet.

But if there’s one thing that we can take away from this mysterious teaser photo, it’s the ever-growing realization from some of the world’s fastest cars that their worst nightmare is out there lurking in the shadows.

The Detroit News reports that while Chrysler is only expected to offer one minivan going forward, the vehicle will carry two different names depending on where it's sold. The Dodge Grand Caravan is expected to carry on in Canada while American buyers are likely to continue to be able to buy the Chrysler Town and Country. Reid Brigland, the head of the Dodge brand, said that the Town and Country resonates better with American buyers.

As you may recall, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has said that the automaker will only offer one minivan by 2013. In addition, the next-generation Chrysler minivan will offer optional all-wheel drive and have a nine-speed automatic transmission. Buyers will also be able to chose between standard sliding doors and a people-mover configuration with traditional hinged entrances. Chrysler also plans to take the compact-van fight to the Ford C-Max with a smaller platform as well.

The Detroit News says that the next-generation Chrysler minivan will continue to be built in the automaker's Windsor, Ontario facility.

We've seen some painful product placement efforts revolving around cars over the past few years. Some of them involve movies or television shows, but more than a fair share come down to music videos. Yet none, absolutely none, can compare with the bizarre spectacle of Abby Cubey behind the wheel of the Mosler RaptorGTR.

For those not yet acquainted, the music video (available after the jump) features a performing artist unknown until now singing some extremely cheesy lyrics in, on and around the Florida-built supercar, accompanied by some very strange sideshow acts. It hardly does the performers any favors, and certainly doesn't help the exotic sports car along any either. But just how did this collaboration come into being?

The story is a little stranger than you might have thought. This wasn't, according to an investigative report undertaken by our friends at Jalopnik, just some American Idol reject getting ahold of a hot car in an attempt to jump-start her career. It actually runs a lot deeper than that, delving deep into a struggle over the business itself responsible for creating the car.

It all seems to revolve around one Todd Wagner, an engineer who, while at Mosler, helped create the RaptorGTR. Wagner has long since been ejected from the company, which is now being controlled by his ex-wife Jill. Todd says he has a distributorship agreement with Mosler in place - a claim that the company flatly denies - and that he created the video in order to promote the vehicle.

Reports also indicate that the terms of Mosler's sale specifically preclude Todd Wagner - who is quickly emerging as severely delusional - from having any involvement. Jill Wagner, meanwhile, speculates that her ex-husband is romantically involved with Cubey, and that the video is part of some misguided effort to promote her career as well as the business that is apparently not his to promote in the first place.

So is it working? Well, with some 40,000 YouTube hits in less than a week, we're reminded of the truism that there's no such thing as bad publicity. But after watching the video ourselves, we're beginning to doubt that very much. Follow the jump for the original video.